


Gingerist

by stxrlia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Enemies, F/M, Hate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29738523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stxrlia/pseuds/stxrlia
Summary: 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬; 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞.-𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐭Artemis Stryker, a third-year Slytherin with the attitude of a bull, constantly bullies Ron Weasley who is a Gryffindor that's in the same year as her. The two can't stand each other at all, or so they thought.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Original Female Character(s)





	1. Expect The Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> I will upload this to Inkitt later on using the same username. If you see it anywhere else, please tell me.

It was a breezy, September day. The leaves were rustling, softly plopping down onto the succulent green grass only to be stepped on by people later. It was the first day of classes and students were dreading the mountains of work that was to come, wishing that their summer holiday was a bit longer.

Artemis Stryker sauntered over to her next class, a smirk etching across her face as she got closer and closer to the forest. A bunch of Gryffindors to mess with. They only had a few more minutes until class started. Why not make the most of it?

Artemis stood in between her friends Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini near the tall trees. The height difference was interesting, to say the least, as she looked like a tiny mushroom in the middle of two fully grown mushrooms. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Weasel breath and the orphan." The girl joked as she crossed her arms. Ron Weasley grimaced at the sound of her voice but ignored her to the best of his ability. Harry Potter, on the other hand, had already had enough of her comments and it wasn't even the middle of the day yet. He slowly walked up to the three Slytherins with Hermione behind him, ready to snap back in Harry's place.

Draco raised an arm in front of Artemis as if telling her that he could take it from there, and stepped in front of her to meet Harry halfway. He stared the boy up and down with a smirk, planning out what insult he was going to use in his head.

"Got something to say about it, Potter?"

Harry balled his fist up but immediately backed down, taking a step back before the blonde spoke up again.

"Oh, I suppose you're pretty quiet today. How is your boyfriend doing by the way?"

"I don't know exactly what you're implying, Malfoy-."

"Don't lie, scarboy. How could we not see it before? Always rushing off to Dumbledore's office."

Harry shoved the boy with rage as the other Slytherins 'oohed' and snickered. Artemis locked eyes with Ron, giving him a wink. Rolling his eyes in disgust, Ron turned his back but paused once he saw the four-legged creature that was trailing behind Hagrid.

It had the face of a bird but the body of a horse, with stormy grey feathers that covered its whole figure. The others didn't seem to notice until a little while after as Potter and Malfoy were still hurling insults and shoving each other, poor Hermione in the middle of it all.

"Alright everyone, let's get started now, shall we?"

The kids all stood away from Hagrid and watched the creature as it stood before them. Ron accidentally bumped into Artemis without even noticing it so their shoulders were now touching.

"This here is Buckbeak. Now, Buckbeak is what you would call a Hippogriff." Hagrid beamed at the bird-like creature with such a chuffed look as he explained the species. "Very proud creatures, they are. Very easily offended as well."

Artemis began to tune the giant out after a while, just now realizing that Ron was right beside her. With a quick glance over, she mused,  _ "He makes it so easy." _

"That repulsive thing could be your twin, wouldn't you say Weasley?"

He snapped out of his thoughts at that moment and tried to think of an even better comeback, but his words were failing him today, not even sparing a single snarky remark.

"Yeah, well...s-shut up!"

Her scent just so happened to catch him off guard for some reason. It reminded him of lying in a bed of flowers. He hated it. Everything about her. That wicked smile whenever she'd let out some crude joke, the way her voice sounded early in the morning during class as the sleepiness tried to escape. And of course, the way that their shoulders were now brushed against each other. He hated all of it!

"How can Cedric stand you?" He mumbled. "You must've given the poor boy a love potion or something."

"I don't need to cheat my way into a relationship unlike you, Weaslebee. And for your information, Ceddy and I are madly in love."

Ron let out an exaggerated gag. "Oh, give me a break."

"Something stuck in yer throat, Ron?" Hagrid asked as Harry was just about to climb on top of Buckbeak.

"N-no sir."

It was quite easy to see how much Artemis got under his skin, like an itch that he couldn’t scratch. It seemed like they argued more and more as the years went on.

_ “I think she fancies you, Ronnie.”  _ His brother George said one day, right before they were preparing to leave for King’s Cross last school year. Ron felt like he would vomit at the thought of that. Him and Stryker? No way in hell. 

After a bit of flying around the paddock, Buckbeak soon landed with Harry on his back, everyone cheering the boy on while still keeping their distance. Artemis clapped in a slow, mocking way.

"Are you going to ride it next?" Pansy asked, leaning against a nearby tree.

"There's no way I'm getting on that thing."

"Oh please, are you  _ actually _ afraid of it?" Draco addressed.

Malfoy wasn't one to hide his confidence and he wasted no time in marching right up to the creature, proving to his friends that there wasn't anything to be afraid of. Although he may have provoked it without even realizing.

"You're not dangerous, not even in the slightest." He taunted, Hagrid warning him.

"Malfoy-."

"Why, you're as ugly as my aunt. You great-.”

And with that, Buckbeak reared back, his talons slashing Draco's arm with rage while the other kids screamed. Draco whimpered and writhed on the ground as he clutched his torn sleeve. Artemis burst into a fit of laughter as everyone around them scampered away.

"How stupid can he be?" She grinned, Blaise silently shaking his head.

Hagrid hurriedly picked up Malfoy after calming Buckbeak down. "Class is dismissed." The giant grunted.

"You stupid chicken. You-." Draco continued to cry out hoarsely, his voice soon fading as Hagrid walked further and further to the castle.

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"Get out of the way!" The brown girl snarled at a couple of young Muggles who were in front of her as she snacked on a chocolate frog. Artemis was warned by Pansy that she could possibly get in trouble for eating in the corridor, but she didn’t particularly care, continuing to chew while talking with her mouth full.

“Looks like you’re eating dung.” Theodore Nott joked from behind, causing Artemis to shoot him a glare.

The halls of Hogwarts were crowded, no surprise there, as students were scurrying away to their next class. The three friends were in no rush, however, taking their precious time to reach the Defence Against The Dark Arts classroom.

“D’you think Draco’s okay?” Pansy asked once they finally made it to Classroom 3C.

“The idiot’s fine, I’m sure.”

The smell of old parchment was enough to hit you in the face once you walked into the room, not to mention the bright sunlight that beamed from the windows. Artemis stood beside Draco, who was still clutching his “broken arm”, waiting for Professor Lupin to start class. He was their new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, whom the Slytherin students deprecated for wearing what they deemed to be “shabby” clothing. This was evident as they were now all giggling and ridiculing, all except for Stryker who just shrugged, unamused.

“So what? It’s better than no clothes at all.”

Malfoy frowned, his brows knitted in a scowl. “Are you saying that those rags are acceptable? I bet he sleeps in a pile of rubble.”

Professor Lupin placed a shaky wardrobe in front of his pupils right after he got done with the first part of class. They all watched in fear as they stood in front of the wardrobe, their reflections casting off of the mirrors that were on it. He then walked around the room with his hands clasped in front of him. "Does anyone have a clue as to what is inside?”

The wardrobe continued to rattle whilst shocking everyone each time it did. Dean Thomas raised his hand to answer.

“It’s a Boggart, sir.”

“Yes! Correct, Mr. Thomas. Can anybody tell me what a boggart  _ looks  _ like?”

Artemis stared at the brown wardrobe blankly, trying to time the rattles in her head. She had heard about Boggarts before, from her mother. She wondered what her Boggart would be. She wasn't sure what she feared the most or who. There was no telling what could come out of those doors.

“No one knows, sir.” Hermione blurted out. “They take the shape of whatever that person fears the most, which is why they’re-

“So terrifying, yes of course.” Professor Lupin finished.

“Mudblood Granger.” Vincent Crabbe snarled.

“Luckily, there is a charm that can repel a Boggart.” The wardrobe knocked and rattled once more. “Let’s practice it now without our wands, shall we? Repeat after me, riddikulus.” 

“Riddikulus.” The students recited in unison, all but Malfoy, who was being just as difficult as usual.

“This class is ridiculous.”

Artemis pondered on what she was really afraid of. Her mother could be scary at times. Occasionally, her bedroom was scary in the dark. Leprechauns sort of freaked her out as well.

As she was lost in her thoughts, everyone began to form a line and Weasley was the second person to face the Boggart. The Boggart began to change from Snape wearing women’s clothing to a large black-widow spider, ready to seek out its prey. Artemis’s eyes widened and she stumbled back, accidentally bumping into someone behind her.

Ron stared at the Boggart, his face turning pallid. He slowly retrieved his wand from his robe with a shaky hand and pointed it at the black widow.

“Riddikulus.”

The spider was given roller skates for all eight of its legs, losing control and slipping each time it rose back up. Ron let out a nervous chuckle as his racing heart began to calm down. 

Three more students went after that, the classroom erupting in laughter each time the Boggart transitioned into something silly. Finally, it was Artemis’s turn. She exhaled and clenched her hand around her wand tightly.

“Ah, Ms. Stryker. Daughter of Evanora.” Lupin spoke in a tone that sounded almost contemptuous. Artemis blinked.

“You know my mother?”

“Of course. How could anyone forget her?” The small smile that he gave her assured her that he meant no hard feelings.

Artemis watched with anticipation as the Boggart changed before her. Her palms were just as sweaty as ever.

“I bet she doesn’t have a fear since she’s so vile,” Ron muttered to Harry.

The Boggart formed into a big leprechaun with glowing blue eyes. It let out an evil chuckle, glaring down at Artemis with a large grin and bushy red eyebrows.

“Wand at the ready, Stryker.”

“Riddikulus.”

The leprechaun soon crossed his arms, performing the Irish jig in front of the students. Artemis let out a hearty laugh along with the others, but it didn’t stop there. 

Just before she was about to walk away, the dancing leprechaun formed into something else. This time, it turned into a wolf spider, its eyes blinking one at a time. Artemis gulped, doing the spell once more.

“R-riddikulus.”

The spider didn’t change at all. Instead, a loud rumbling sound was released from its bottom, earning even more laughter from the students. Then it changed to a dragon, and then to an old woman with wrinkles covering practically her whole face. It just wouldn’t stop, continuing to cycle through a few of Artemis’s fears.

“Alright then, Harry, you’re next.” 

Artemis walked to the back of the line with a puzzled look as the Boggart, who took the shape of a tiger before she left, roared at Harry Potter. 

As if things couldn’t have gotten any stranger, a Dementor had appeared in front of Harry, swarming around the wardrobe before Lupin shielded him. It then took the form of a full moon upon the teacher encountering it.

“Riddikulus!” Professor Lupin pointed his wand at the image before it turned into a balloon, whizzing by the line of kids who watched with amusement. 

The door to the wardrobe opened and the deflating balloon flew inside, a loud shut indicating that the Boggart was now locked back in.

“Alright, well, that’s the end of the lesson. If you would like to collect your books, that’s the end of the lesson today.”

“Way to go, Potter,” Artemis muttered.

There was certainly never a boring day at Hogwarts, despite the mounds of work given. 

  
  



	2. Ambivalence

It was a Friday morning and all of the students were given a small break before their next classes. Artemis pushed through the crowd of people in the corridor with a delighted smile as she ran into the arms of the boy, giggling profusely. Cedric held onto her tightly with a soft smile. The soft strokes on her back made her melt even more.

“How is your day going?” He asked after they finally parted. He smelled of vanilla and peppermint, a scent that Artemis could never get tired of. 

“I’m already annoyed by it.” She smiled. “How about yours?”

The couple started to walk up the stairs without going anywhere in particular. Artemis had her hands placed by her sides, though she was rather fidgety. She and Cedric had just begun dating during summer holiday and she was still a bit nervous, oftentimes avoiding making eye contact with him. 

“My day’s been fine so far. Can’t wait until Quidditch season starts.”

“Neither can I. But don’t you think it’ll be awkward now that we’re dating?”

Cedric chuckled. “How so?”

“What if we get mad at each other during a match? Because of a teammate?”

“Oh, right. Slytherins are known cheaters.”

Artemis huffed in annoyance and rolled her eyes at him, Cedric giving her a wide grin in return.

“I’m only joking. Blimey, if looks could kill.”

They didn’t spend much time with each other after Artemis had professed her love that summer but they were relatively close now. She certainly tried her best to be mature in front of him, thinking that if she acted like herself he would become uninterested. 

The bell soon chimed a while later after the two talked for what seemed like hours. Artemis looked down at the patterns that adorned the floors of Hogwarts as Cedric pulled her into another embrace, which was rather quick, rushing off immediately after. His scent still lingered in her nose and she didn’t mind it one bit. 

  
  


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The Slytherin students sat at their table in the Great Hall, eating and chatting merrily. A rowdy bunch, the third years were. They were most likely the loudest ones in the room. 

Draco thought it would be the perfect time to come clean after Pansy asked about his arm’s condition, removing the sling which once protected it. He smirked slyly.

“I faked it.”

Small surprised gasps were coming from some and raised eyebrows from others until Artemis chortled:

“Malfoy. You dirty dog.”

The others praised Draco as always. He was like the king of Slytherin kids in his year since they followed his orders most of the time, not even being able to have an opinion of their own.

Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were talking about what they would do over the weekend, ultimately deciding to just visit Hagrid on Saturday. They were interrupted, however, by the sounds of cheering coming from the Slytherin table. Hermione rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance. 

“Could they be any louder?” 

“Don’t you think that Malfoy and Artemis could be a great couple?” asked Harry after biting into his turkey sandwich.

“Obviously. They’re both wretched people.” Hermione frowned. 

“Well, Artemis is a bit calmer than-.”

“Calmer? Calmer?” Ron interrupted. “Stryker? Calm? What a bunch of rubbish.”

“She’s a bit calmer than Malfoy,” Harry finished. “In my opinion.”

Ron took a look behind him, watching the girl as she chatted with her friends. Yesterday evening, she had threatened to grab him by the hair and throw him off of the grand staircase if he didn’t walk faster. If that’s what you would call “calmer than Malfoy”, then you may as well say that Snape was the nicest teacher in all of Hogwarts. 

“I’ve never heard her say anything bad towards Muggles. What if she thinks differently than him?”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Harry. Most Slytherins think alike.” Hermione added. “Besides, she’s still around him. If they didn’t share the same horrible opinions then I’m sure that they wouldn’t be friends.”

Ron believed that Artemis was just a bad person in general, no ifs, and’s, or but’s about it. She seemed to prove that everyday. He sometimes wondered if her heart was as cold as ice or if she even  _ had _ one at all. 

It wasn’t until a few weeks later when he and Artemis  _ really _ started to go at it, not sparing a single breath while continuously insulting each other. 

It was during potions class when the argument first took place. The two third years were stuck as partners after Harry took a seat beside Seamus and Hermione sat beside Parvati. There were no other seats left, unfortunately. It seemed like the universe was just plotting to make both of their lives miserable.

With Ron adding the wrong ingredient to the potion, a small explosion blew up in both of their faces, causing their hair to raise and black soot to cover half of their faces. It was all going perfectly great for awhile. The two hadn’t even argued the first half of class. 

“Honestly, Ron, do you have to be such a toad?” Artemis groaned as she tried to push her hair back down.

“It’s not my fault you didn’t stir it properly-.”

“Don’t try and blame this on me.”

“I am blaming this on- _ OW! _ ”

The redheaded boy’s sentence was cut short after Stryker grabbed at his robe, somehow twisting his nipple through the fabric.

“Quiet...down,” Snape called, loud enough for everyone to hear. His voice was just as stern as his face. “Fifty points will be taken away from Gryffindor, Weasley.”

All Gryffindor students in the room groaned at Professor Snape’s unfair punishment while Artemis stood there with a proud smile, bobbing her head from side to side. 

“She’s the one who started it!” Ron countered.

“You will be losing one hundred and fifty points and getting a detention if you talk back again. I would advise you to watch your tongue or have it  _ cut _ from your head.” 

With a heavy sigh, Ron plopped down in his seat. He didn’t want to get on Snape’s bad side. Last time, he had to collect pufferfish eyes which wasn’t a pleasant activity. There was no telling what Snape would make him do in detention if he gave it to him this time. 

Professor Snape leaned down to Artemis’s ear, whispering something quietly to which she responded with a groan. Ron wasn’t exactly sure what the teacher said since he wasn’t very good at reading lips, but he could take a guess.

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“I’m telling you. It’s like my arm was pulled out of the socket.” Artemis whined, moving the limb around in a circle.

“I think you push yourself too hard, with Quidditch and all,” said Pansy.

“I do not! I take breaks every now and then. Don’t you want our house to win the cup this year?”

“Is that really what this is about?”

“...O-obviously.”

While Pansy watched as her friend attempted to shrug off the pain, Seamus and Dean walked past with Ron trailing behind, deliberately bumping into Artemis. Of course, Stryker being Stryker, she wasn’t going to let that fly by.

“Watch where you’re going, twat.” She spat.

“How about you get out of the way!” Ron retorted with an indignant tone.

“Don’t tell me what to do, rag boy!

“No, I will. I’m tired of you pushing me around-.”

“Why don’t you do something about it then? Go on.” She shoved him while taunting. “You going to hit a girl, Weasley?”

Ron knew his place and he dared not follow his urges. Even though a part of him wanted to, that wasn’t who he was. Before he opened his mouth once more, Professor McGonagall stepped between them, her brow raised. 

“Is there a problem here?”

That’s when Pansy Parkinson chimed in, figuring that it wouldn’t hurt to tell a bit of a lie. “He pushed her.” She accused. Artemis smiled behind her hand so that the teacher wouldn’t see, Ron standing there with a baffled look. 

“I did not!”

“Mr. Weasley, is this true?”

“No! I’d never do that!”

“I will take five points from Gryffindor and you will have detention.” The stern woman then turned to the two Slytherins. “If I find out that you are lying, Ms. Parkinson, then you will be assisting Madam Pomfrey everyday for a month. Do you understand?”

She nodded with pursed lips, fear clouding her eyes. No one was ever crazy enough to cross McGonagall, and lying to her was the last thing Pansy wanted to do. Perhaps it was just the heat of the moment.

“And as for you, Ms. Stryker,” The teacher continued. “You will have detention alongside Mr. Weasley.”

“What?! Why?!” They said in unison, their eyes widened like bugs.

“I saw you push him back, Ms. Stryker, if it is true that he pushed you first. You know the rules of Hogwarts and I expect you to abide by them.”

All three kept their mouths shut after Professor McGonagall left, their feet stuck to the ground. Something inside of Artemis ached as she watched Ron slowly walk away, grumbling curse words under his breath. It was a rather far-reaching accusation for Pansy to make but the other girl didn’t seem to feel that bad about it at all. That feeling stuck with Artemis throughout the rest of the day, though, leaving her no room to concentrate on her work. 

  
  
  


  
  
  



End file.
